What the Heck is SIBO?
Two months ago, I took a test and the results showed that I was positive for SIBO!
What made me take that test and what the heck is SIBO?
I have been using natural, holistic methods to control my thyroid condition, Hashimotos, for the past 7 years… with mostly great success…. but it has also been a bit of a roller coaster ride at times.
I will be feeling great, lots of energy, on top of the world and then within days, I crash and burn with severe digestive discomfort, UTIs, painful joints, migraines and other symptoms. I knew that I was missing something!
My new naturopath listened intently to my summary of my ongoing symptoms, after which she blurted out “I bet you money that you have SIBO! Let’s do the test!”
I had no idea what SIBO was, but I was determined to get to the bottom of these health issues. I ordered the test and started diving into the research.
Here is a little bit about what I found out…
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and is defined as an increased number of bacteria in the small intestine. We are meant to have huge quantities of bacteria in our LARGE intestine… but they do not belong in large numbers in the small intestine.
The symptoms of SIBO closely mirror those of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and it is estimated that up to 85% of IBS cases are actually caused by SIBO.
The most common symptom is… excessive bloating within 5 to 60 minutes after eating. (I would often not eat until 2-3pm because it made my stomach ache & I looked 6 months pregnant)
SIBO is often the root cause of many different autoimmune disorders… such as hashimotos, lupus, arthritis, graves, IBS etc… because it causes leaky gut!
There are three different methods that help to get rid of these little gut critters… a round of antibiotics, herbal antimicrobials, or the elemental diet (liquid only for 2 weeks).
I chose the herbal antimicrobials and I have spent the past 5 weeks slowly working my way up to the maximum dose. Every three days I would up my dose & experience die-off symptoms. Die-off means that the little critters die & release toxins… which makes you feel like poop on a stick! I had migraines, crazy sore joints, felt like I had the flu, my brain was definitely not processing well and my thyroid symptoms would kick up… this all sucks… but it means that the supplements are doing their job!
SIBO is notoriously hard to get rid of and much of the research that I read had me feeling completely overwhelmed! So… I did what I always do… I meditated on it and came away with a calm knowing that I have been training for this experience for years!
I am now ready to stay on the top dose of herbal antimicrobials for the next 4 weeks!
Here is my physical plan:
Support the herbal antimicrobials with a low fodmap diet
Massage my belly with essential oils daily
Silicone cup my belly a couple of times a week to draw out toxins
Reduce joint pain with joint & muscle cream, cannabis cookies, silicone cupping and red light therapy
Treat headaches with essential oils, acupressure and breath patterns
Dry brush, Infra-red sauna & increase my water intake to help my body get rid of the toxic build up
Stop all other supplements & exercise programs… this is going to require a lot of self-care and I have a habit of overdoing it & making myself sicker
Here is my mental plan:
Be super kind… this is a journey that will take me to a place of greater understanding about myself!
Meditate daily… I require a quiet mind to help me know what the next step of my journey is.
Journal daily… my thoughts create my experience and I am not exactly sure what thoughts and bogus beliefs I will find hidden deep within my small intestines.
Take my own advice & use our four step method… breathe.observe.apply.love… each time I feel any discomfort
I had a conversation with my sweetie this morning and told him that I keep reading the phrase “SIBO often hides in plain sight under a biofilm attached to the intestinal wall.” I explained that this makes it hard to detect and hard to get rid of, and then mused “I wonder what emotionally creates that… what thoughts hide in plain sight?” His immediate response was “Worthiness… none of us believe that we deserve everything we desire… yet everything around us points in that direction!” He is so freakin’ wise! I will let you know if my meditations & journaling lead me back to worthiness!
I am going to document this journey on social media… as I believe that so many of us are struggling with digestive disorders and auto-immune conditions. Please consider joining me on this healing experience on Facebook and Instagram!
Lastly, here is a link to a great three part article on SIBO and IBS that will take you on a deep dive into healing your gut health. https://bellalindemann.com/blog/sibo-series-part-1-hidden-cause-ibs
Much Love,
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